Tennessee child support calculator

Tennessee follows the Income Shares Model. The idea is that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have if the parents lived together. Both parents’ adjusted gross monthly income is combined and applied to the CS Schedule, and each parent is responsible for the share that matches their percentage of the combined income — their PI. The alternate residential parent pays their share to the primary residential parent.

The heart of the calculation is the CS Schedule in Rule 1240-02-04-.09 — for each number of children (one to five or more) and each level of combined adjusted gross monthly income, it gives the Basic Child Support Obligation the two parents together owe. It runs from $150 up to $28,250 combined per month in $50 increments, and when income falls between two rows you round up to the next one. Above $28,250 the Schedule supplies its own formula — for two children, $2,803 plus 7.22% of the excess.

To the Basic Child Support Obligation Tennessee adds work-related child care and the children’s health-insurance premium, each divided between the parents in proportion to income. The Schedule also carries a self-support reserve of $957 a month — the shaded low-income area. If the obligor’s own income falls in that area, the obligation computed on the obligor’s income alone is compared with their proportionate share and the lesser figure controls. The shaded area reaches $1,300 for one child, $1,550 for two, $1,700 for three, $1,850 for four and $2,000 for five or more.

Tennessee counts days, not overnights alone. The Guidelines assume the alternate residential parent has the children about 80 days a year; the obligation increases at 68 days or fewer and decreases at 92 days or more. Because that needs the exact day count from the parenting plan, this calculator computes the standard obligation before any parenting-time adjustment. When the self-support reserve applies, no parenting-time credit is given.

It combines both parents’ adjusted gross income, reads the CS Schedule, applies the self-support reserve, adds child care and health insurance, and splits the total by income share. It does not compute adjusted gross income from your pay stubs, run the parenting-time adjustment, credit other children in the home, add recurring uninsured medical costs, or apply a deviation the court may order. For a figure you can file, use the Tennessee DHS worksheet or consult an attorney.